1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of casino gaming. More particularly, the invention relates to a variation or modification of the card game known as blackjack or twenty-one. The invention further relates to a card game wherein players place a wager which corresponds to a predicted total point value of two cards dealt to the player.
2. The Prior Art
Blackjack or twenty-one is a well-known casino card game. Blackjack is played with one or more standard decks of 52 playing cards. Typically, the game is played on a table having a straight edge behind which a dealer stands and a semi-circular edge around which one or more players are positioned. The maximum number of players at a table may be, for example, seven. The blackjack table may have a top surface covered with felt or another material which is imprinted with various indicia. These various indicia may include text describing basic and house rules of play and may indicate areas where players' cards are to be dealt and where players' bets are to be placed.
The object of blackjack is for a player to accumulate a hand of cards which has a point total exceeding that of the blackjack dealer, without exceeding twenty-one. Numbered cards have a point value which equals their number value. Face cards (kings, queens, and jacks) are assigned a point value of ten and aces are assigned a point value of either one or eleven as determined by the person holding the hand including one or more aces. A two-card hand having a point total of twenty-one is known as blackjack.
Blackjack play is commenced by a player making an initial wager or bet on the outcome of the upcoming hand. An amount of this initial bet, also known as an ante, may be regulated between a minimum and maximum amount set by the casino or house for the particular table of play. Players typically indicate their bet or wager by placing an appropriate number of chips or markers, each of which has a designated value or values assigned to it, in a designated area of the blackjack table.
Following the placing of bets or wagers, the dealer deals cards to each player and to himself or herself. Each player and the dealer are initially dealt two cards. Each of the players' cards is dealt face up. The dealer's initial two cards are typically dealt one face up and one face down. The dealer generally deals one card to each player in turn, starting from the dealer's left and proceeding to the dealer's right. The dealer then deals a card to himself or herself and proceeds to deal a second card to each player, again moving from left to right and to himself or herself.
After the dealer and the players have been dealt an initial hand of two cards, each player in turn elects to receive one or more additional cards (“hit”) or to take no additional cards (“stand”). A player may elect to take additional cards until they decide to stand or until the point total of the player's hand exceeds twenty-one, known as “busting.” Once all players have either received their desired number of cards or have busted, the dealer elects to take additional cards or to stand. Under most rules, a dealer is not permitted to receive additional cards if the dealer's existing hand has a total point value of seventeen or greater and a dealer is required to take an additional card if the dealer's existing hand has a point total of less than seventeen.
Once all of the players and the dealer have either received a desired number of cards or have busted, the outcome of the game is determined. A player wins if either the dealer's point total exceeds twenty-one (i.e. the dealer busts) or if the player's point total exceeds the dealer's point total for a particular hand. In either event, the winning player is paid an amount equal to his or her initial bet in addition to receiving his or her initial bet back. If the dealer's hand exceeds that of a player's or if a player busts, that player loses and forfeits his or her bet. If a dealer's point total for a hand equals that of a player, a tie or push is declared and that player receives his or her initial bet back.
The conventional game of blackjack described above has been supplemented with a number of alternative betting procedures, including insurance, doubling down, and splitting pairs. Additionally, various methods or procedures relating to variations on or modifications of a conventional blackjack game are disclosed in the following references, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 to Jones et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,586 to Marks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,042 to Lo; U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,675 to Handelman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,102 to Marks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,456 to Long; U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,500 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,020 to Broadnax; U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,767 to Keller; U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,003 to Potter et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2003/0222400 to Collins et al.; 2003/0218303 to Walker et al.; and 2003/0057648 to Webb.